Wednesday, June 28, 2006

Winds of change?

The Washington Post report above is one of those stories that may not have headline status but could have long-term significance. A huge protest amongst China's farmers has not been met with the usual state violence and repression. Rather, despite major riots, the protest has been met with concessions which suggest China may be moving toward a tactic of negotiation in cases of internal dissent. Oddly, it may be the new market economy itself that is bringing this about.

Most of the British press went "to bed" too early to give much coverage to the overnight incursion by Israel into Gaza, but Amerika was still awake when it happened. The destruction seems to have been designed to divide Gaza into three sectors.